The Torchbearer
The Torchbearer was an itinerant hero who founded the city-state of El-Andrel, the so-called "Nation of Men," which he ruled as its first and only king. His twelve hundred year reign led his city to be the only community created after the fall of the Great Kingdom to match the Ancient Cities, yet seemingly at the height of El-Andrel's glory he took up his torch and departed without explanation, leaving his city to his ministers. At this point he passes from the sight of the south, though his deeds and words remain a fixture of legend. What few realized however, is that his creation and rule over El-Andrel is the veritable tip of the iceberg as far as his life is concerned. History Flight from The Other (81900 BSR) Far beyond The Dreaming West and many thousands of years ago, a race of Men called Aurans built a lordly culture, whose accomplishments in magic and science far outstripped those of any in The Known Lands. They took their name from their skin, which they had turned into a sort of living gold with their great alchemical prowess. The man who would become the Torchbearer was one of the great Mystics who formed the ruling Hierarchy. When the wardens of the Auran's western frontier reported that the sun of the adjacent lands had vanished, the event sparked great fear in the populace. Fear turned to panic when The Other arrived, and the great spells and terrible weapons of the Aurans were unable to stop its destructive rampage. Panic turned to despair when the earth parted and a majestic Dragon emerged to do battle with the Other, only to be torn apart. The Mystic who would become the Torchbearer realized that his people must flee if they were to survive. He took up the relic known to his people as the Light of Truth and gathered the people to retreat to the east, leaving behind a host of spirits and golems to delay the Other's pursuit. The lands beyond the eastern frontier were uncivilized, the waters stormwracked, and many Aurans died. More stayed behind, selling their lives dearly to keep the Other from pursuing the main body of exiles. When they at last reached the Watchwind Islands in the Known Lands, an exodus of millions had been reduced to a few thousand. War with the Men-of-Mithril (81,800 - 81,789 BSR) Tour of the North (81,789 - 80,700 BSR) Tour of the East (80,700 - 79,615 BSR) Tour of the South (79,615 - 78,532 BSR) Tour of the West (78,532 - 77,452 BSR) Among the Survivors (77,415 - 77,410 BSR) Captivity (77,410 - 76,390 BSR) Return to Watchwind (76,390 - ? BSR) Return to the South Founding of El-Andrel (1,200 BSR) Appearance The Torchbearer was depicted in art as a man with a soft, androgynous quality to his figure and features. Curiously, his skin is always depicted a burnished gold or even orichalcum color. Outsiders have wondered about this, as southern rulers are usually depicted in art in an idealized fashion, whether feminine or masculine. They contend that the figure is unattractive by southern standards of beauty, yet golden in color, perhaps representing his inner nobility. The people of El-Andrel insist that these depictions are fairly literal and that The Torchbearer actually had metallic skin and hair. The Torchbearer's eponymous torch bore the shape of a long stemmed lotus made entirely of orichalcum, it seemed to burn regardless of surrounding conditions, with no apparent fuel. Category:Characters Category:Magicians